Caryl

Yes they do but if this is new behaviour for your particular fish you might want to think about other reasons for this - like low oxygen levels. If they are otherwise fine though I would not worry about it.

One of the guys had this at a BBQ yesterday... I did not have my camera on hand to get a pic of it flying but it flew well (I did not take this pic)

I was thinking more a faulty heaterstat than room temperature.

Fish lie, so don't believe them when they claim they are starving.

I was thinking temperature too. WCMM cope with a wide range of temps but leopardfish don't.

Personally, I would be feeding sparingly until I was sure the filter had caught up with the bioload.

If the fish are happy you might be fine then. Keep a very close eye on them though for the next week or so.

Without knowing what your test readings are I have no idea!

Oooh pretty! :thup:

I don't use test kits either but I have never had a problem like yours so they weren't needed.

There's no way of telling without testing the water.

The stick-on strips are not as good as the internals. Digital ones are cheap these days too and accurate, as far as I know. If you are buying a glass one that sticks on with a small suction cup, line them all up in the shop then move aside the ones whose temp varies greatest from the rest then pick the one that seems to agree with the majority. That will hopefully be the most accurate.

The type of fish makes a big difference to the bioload. 100 guppies will produce a lot less waste than 100 small plecs and the bigger the fish the bigger the poo.

Then I would be doing 30 - 40% water changes daily. How long you do these depends on cycling, which is why I suggested a test kit. I may have read it wrong but I gather it was the filter media in current use at the time the cat created the problem, that you say dried out in the bucket? Or did you mean the old filter had media that had dried out? Did you have any used media that had not dried out? If so, that is what should be in the filter now being used. If you have, you should be fine. If you haven't then the tank will have to cycle again. This is why it pays not to overstock, or if you do, make sure you have contingencies in place for when trouble arises.

If that filter was a used one that had been used continually when you added it (and not sat on an empty tank before adding it to the damaged tank) you should be fine but a 20% daily water change would not go amiss. Keep a close eye on the fish for any change in behaviour - gasping at the surface, listlessness, clamped fins etc.

If the tank is heavily stocked then I would be doing water changes and not just hope for the best. Have you got a test kit? Using one will tell you, quickly and simply, if, and when, a water change is required.

If it eases your mind at all, I once had a danio with dropsy, only one, and it never infected the other fish. By the time I noticed it the pinecone effect was very obvious and it actually died before I got it out of the tank. None of the other fish ever got it and I suspect that one danio had other health problems that led to the dropsy rather than it being an overall water conditions fault.

Welcome to another Darren. If you add your location to your profile it may help in future posts.

That was very interesting! :thup:

I like to keep as much existing water as possible as it is one less thing to worry about when setting up again.

Are you hoping they are edible?

Camtang, in here, can help too.

The API test kit is said to be a very good one. Whether it is good value or does what you want will vary depending on the user. Q tank size depends on the type of fish you keep. It needs to be large enough for the largest fish you end up with. You need to check the availability of mini heaters to fit.

I am sure Stella would recommend Koromiko for a freedom camping stopover area. It is on your left, 7.4km from the terminal

We are usually still up at that hour (Grant until after midnight). Do you need a bed(s)?